Sacramento Trustees Question Police Communication on ICE Activity

Federal immigration agents detained an individual during a targeted operation in south Sacramento on October 27, prompting local school trustees to demand clearer lines of communication with the city’s police department over operations unfolding near neighborhood campuses.

The enforcement action took place near La Superior, a business in the surrounding neighborhood of Ethel Phillips Elementary School, according to a Facebook video recorded outside the facility by Sacramento City Unified School District Trustee Jasjit Singh. While Singh confirmed that no immigration agents entered the school grounds and no children were taken into custody, district officials maintain they were left in the dark despite their understanding that local law enforcement had prior knowledge of the event.

It is our understanding that Sac PD was aware of ICE activity, and yet our district was not made aware by Sac PD, Singh stated in his video.

As Sacramento ICE activity rises, immigration fears renew fight over police data https://t.co/JMgBMSZUbM

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According to information provided to KCRA 3 by the Department of Homeland Security, federal agents arrested Oscar De La Rosa-Nunez during the October 27 operation. Federal officials stated that De La Rosa-Nunez was previously deported in 2022 before reentering the United States illegally.

At the same time, federal authorities disputed claims that the arrest happened directly outside the elementary school, noting the location was a quarter-mile away. It remains unconfirmed whether the specific operation detailed by the Department of Homeland Security matches the exact incident observed and reported by school trustees.

For years, Sacramento City Unified has designated its schools as Safe Havens. Earlier this year, the district’s trustees voted 6-0 to approve an updated policy governing institutional responses to immigration enforcement. However, those operational guidelines do not mandate that the Sacramento Police Department notify the school system regarding federal law enforcement actions occurring off campus.

Trustee Chinua Rhodes told KCRA 3 that school officials only learned of the activity through their own Safe Schools staff rather than through local law enforcement channels.

What we feel we should have heard is actually from our local police department ahead of time, Rhodes said.

In response to the neighborhood enforcement, district trustees are urging undocumented parents to exercise caution during morning drop-offs and afternoon pickups.

We ask you to really take precautions and make sure that if you’re doing school drop-offs, school pick-ups, to figure out someone who is going to be the safest person to come pick up or drop off your children, Singh advised families.

While Rhodes reassured parents that students remain safe while inside campus boundaries, he emphasized that closer institutional cooperation with city leadership is required. The incident also drew public attention from Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple, whose office received reports of an individual being detained by ICE in front of the elementary school.

When asked directly whether city officers knew about the federal operation, assisted ICE agents, or notified the school district, the Sacramento Police Department did not answer those questions. Instead, department representatives referred all inquiries concerning the federal action directly to immigration authorities.

Looking ahead, Rhodes indicated that trustees want city leaders to evaluate a formal policy requiring the Sacramento police to alert the school district whenever officers become aware of immigration enforcement activity unfolding near educational facilities. The objective, according to district officials, is to build a predictable framework for coordination that allows administrators to prepare and safeguard local students and their families.